Days of Fiore
by GreenTeaCake
Summary: Juvia doesn't ask for much-she just wants to disappear in the huge city of Crocus. But what happens with a new knight comes to town? Will her life be turned around as they uncover the deep mysteries that might uproot Crocus? AU, Gruvia and more!
1. Chapter 1: Brief encounter

**Chapter 1**

The floorboard creaked softly beneath the water mage's feet. Quietly, Juvia slipped into a sturdy, brown and green dress and a worn-out cloak. Grabbing her basket of fruits, cheese and bread, she tip toed outside of her room. She remained extra cautious in hopes to not wake up her father, Jose. She knew how frightening he could be when she accidently woke him up in the mornings. In fact, she realized how frightening he could be in any given moment.

Chills swept through her spine as she thought about the last time she angered him. Juvia had given a present to an orphan on his birthday- a small individual strawberry cake and a handmade doll she made herself. Jose scolded her and gave her a fat bruise on her stomach because she apparently had "wasted valuable money that otherwise could be put to better use." In other words, the money could have been put to financing Jose to gain more power in the kingdom. Even though he was a Duke, Jose still strived for more power. Juvia sometimes even thought his obsession with power was to be king of the land, but she doubted that Jose would have such a far-off goal.

Juvia sighed, lost in her thoughts, as she gently locked the house door. She put on the hood of her cloak, so her dark blue eyes were shadowed, giving her a mysterious aura. The only distinguishable feature of her now was her short, spiky blue hair that flickered up curiously around the frame of her face. She looked back one more time at her home. It was nice, much better off than many of the townspeople in the kingdom. The house radiated wealth, and most anyone would, hands down, love to exchange their rickety, shambled home for the one Juvia lived in. The mahogany wood on the interior, loaded with antique furniture and expensive china echoed in every room of her house. Bird fountains made of marble, etched with delicate details brandished her front yard, followed by every color of rose one could think of lined neatly behind the bird baths emphasized the wealth of the Porla family. But Juvia hated this house. It was unfamiliar to her; there was no sense of home, and it was in this house were she felt the loneliest, the most afraid.

It wouldn't have been this way if Juvia's mother was still alive. The loneliness of where she resided would have dissipate. Although the blue haired beauty only remembers bits and pieces of her mother, the memories she held were full of blissful happiness and carefree laughter. She remembered her mother as a woman who was loving, tranquil, and warm. It was only when she was around 7 or 8 that she realized Jose wasn't her father. One day in the middle of the night, an explosive argument broke out between Jose and her mother, as Juvia hid in her room listening to the foul words coming out of their mouths. It was on this night that Juvia found out she was an illegitimate child, that her mother had been seeing someone else. It was on this night that her mother left and never came back. It was on this night Juvia blamed herself for her mother's disappearance and for being abandoned. It was on this night that the rain always began to fall.

Jose didn't change much after the disappearance of Juvia's mother. He was still stoic and intimidating, albeit more violent. Jose didn't want anyone to find out about his disgraceful "daughter" so he kept his thin mouth sealed. But word tends to get around- and it did. Living next to the castle due to Jose's rank as a Duke became problematic. The snooty kids did not want to befriend Juvia because she was, in their eyes, tainted. Even the maids who she would greet and chat with when her mother was still alive strayed their eyes away from the young water mage. Jose didn't mention Juvia after the incident, and no one else had the courage to talk about her either, due to the fear and respect they had for him. The blunette was alone.

"At least Juvia can be away from the house," she mumbled to herself, as she walked down the dirt path. Jose didn't particularly care where Juvia went. He didn't particularly care for her at all. As long as she acted as a forgotten child and didn't interfere with his quest for power, Juvia might as well have been a dog to him. He only needed her to take care of the house, make dinner, and do chores.

Juvia was so wrapped up in her thoughts with her feet quickly pacing on path, that she did not notice that she was about to bump into a shadowy figure in front of her.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed, as she bumped into heavy armor and fell to the ground. The basket laid on the floor, with its contents sprawled on the floor.

"S-sorry!" the blunette whimpered, hastily scanning for the damage done on the basket. Juvia grabbed the bread and cheese, thankful that she had wrapped them up last night, and began wiping the grim from the apples with the hem of her dress.

"No, I should be sorry," the figure said in a cool tone. "I didn't watch where I was going. These damn kingdom's streets are confusing."

Juvia's ears perked up at the handsome voice that flowed through her ears. A sudden urge rushed through Juvia to see the stranger's face. The hood of her cloak peeled off her forehead as she raised her head up with questioning eyes. A tall, muscular male with black spiky hair appeared before her, donned in armor a palace soldier would wear.

As their eyes met, the soldier's eyes widened, in awe of the pretty, blue haired girl kneeling before him.

Juvia felt her cheeks flush as red as the apples she was holding while looking at the handsome stranger.

"A-ah, ehh…" she stammered, at a loss for words.

Her nonsensical words seemed to snap the soldier out of his slight gawk. His face suddenly dropped and he returned to the cool look he had. The soldier raised his hand and brushed his spiky, black hair and recomposed himself. He appeared almost emotionless as his knelt down to Juvia's side.

Juvia now felt her face burn crimson red as the stranger moved closer to her. _What is he doing? Juvia is not ready for this!_she thought to herself. Her chest was pounding, just as it does when it rains heavy against the pavements. Juvia didn't know why he had such a strange effect on her heart.

"Here," he said in a mysterious voice. In his hand he held an apple that escaped from the woven basket.

Their hands briefly brushed as he passed her the edible. _Ice cold hands _, Juvia thought. As if on cue, her heart began to race. Even though his hands were icy cold, she felt warm from it. _Strange,_she thought as she pondered at these new and strange emotions shrouding her. The soldier also seemed a bit uneasy at their brief physical contact, quickly retracting his hand and letting his eyes wander, hoping to be distracted by anything but the girl in front of him.

"Er-thanks," Juvia shyly whispered. _So he was helping me clean up_, she thought, embarrassed that she thought he was leaning in to kiss her.

Juvia cursed herself for thinking that anyone would want to have anything to do with her. In fact, Juvia was surprised the soldier did not recognize her. Although Jose did not like to mention his daughter, she was usually the talk of the royal gossip, and almost anyone in the court knew of her face. She was relieved that he did not seem phased by her, even being so kind as to help her pick up her apples. Juvia did not want even more rumors to be flying again, and annoying her father was the last thing she wanted.

"I need your help," the soldier grunted, although he seemed a bit reluctant to admit this. His face inched closer to Juvia as he spoke, allowing Juvia to feel his surprisingly warm breath. "I am supposed to be on my way to the palace. I'm new to Crocus, FioreKingdom's capital. I'm on my way to assist the King."

Just as Juvia had thought the flush of her face began to settle down, it immediately crept back up to her pale cheeks once the stranger moved closer. Juvia shot up and stood on her feet, unable to deal with the small intimacy they had together.

"O-oh! Of course! You just keep following this dirt path, and turn East once you reach the palace fountain," Juvia stammered. In a nervous habit, her fingers entwined the basket she held.

"Thank you…" He spoke, his voice trailing off.

"Ah, please excuse my rudeness. My name is am Juvia. Juvia Po-" The water mage stopped midsentence. She finally was able to meet someone since her mother's death that did not know of her past. She didn't want to ruin it by giving away her last name. He would surely find out about her being the illegitimate daughter of Duke Jose sooner or later, but she liked the idea of holding on to an uninterrupted honest moment like this for just a while longer. Maybe she would meet him again before he found out about her unwanted history. It would be nice to talk to someone without judging her.

"Eh?" He said, confused at why she stopped talking.

"Juvia. Just Juvia," she repeated.

"I see. I'm Gray Fullbuster. Thank you for showing me the way to the royal palace," he said gratefully, fixated on her deep blue eyes. He couldn't shake off the fact that just then, there was an overwhelming sadness in her eyes.

Juvia's eyes widened as he completed his thanks to her.

"No problem! Juvia is glad to be of help!" Juvia was chipper that she could be of valuable help. It has been a long time that anyone asked for her, let alone thank her. A small smile curled up her lips, letting her beautiful features beam in delight.

Gray was taken aback at this. The sadness from her eyes disappeared and she seemed to be glowing. _Why do I even care?_ He thought to himself. _Whatever, it's just another maiden_. He was annoyed at why he was so interested in this girl. Gray knew he wasn't here to woo any ladies, but here to bring justice to his past.

He stole one more quick glace at Juvia, then walked away from her, raising his hand in a gesture of thanks.

Juvia stared at him, until he turned a corner and the sound of his metal boots disappeared in silence. Her heart wouldn't stop fluttering. It wasn't unusual to bump into soldiers in this area-she lived right next to the castle, a wealthier area-but she never met a soldier that didn't brush her off or went out of her way to help her. Juvia was new to the kindness she received from a total stranger. But her heart stiffened when she realized that he was to join the palace army. And when that happened, surely he would find out about her shamed past…

"Kya!" Juvia screamed. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden remembrance that she was to be somewhere. The blunette quickly brushed off the remaining dirt from her skirt and sprinted toward her destination, briefly forgetting her unexpected delightful encounter.

Huffing and out of breath, Juvia stood outside the small building. This building was no luxury- it was smaller than her house and in ruins. The rusty, fenced gate was partially in-tact and the gray walls seemed to crumble if anyone even so much as grazed past it. Only two small windows where against the building, but they resembled jail bars. The door was a rotten piece of wood, with a rusty handle attached to it. The front garden wasn't even a garden. Rubble sediments filled the yard, with vicious weeds poking through the surface. The soil was dry and barren. Juvia smiled despite the unaesthetic and unappealing view.

Because to her, this was home.

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><p><strong><em>AN_**

_Hi everyone!_

_I decided to start this story from inspiration of reading other fan fics. I love GrayxJuvia as a pairing so I decided to start my own little story._

_FAIR WARNING TO YOU ALL: This is my first fanfic, so it might not be as amazing as the other work you have read._

_I'm still trying to see how I can incorporate other members into the story line, since I love how Fairy Tail has such a diverse cast of characters. Maybe we will see some GaLa and NaLu in the future? Maybe even JeZa? (I'm almost too afraid to even consider JerZa due to such an intense relationship in the manga!)_

_Another note- when Juvia is about to release her full name, she says Juvia Porla- due to Jose's last name. Remember that she is not his real daughter! Her last name will be found out (hopefully) sometime in this series._

_Yes, I know this was a short chapter compared to all other fanfics I've read and I apologize o. This is my first fanfic so please throw out any constructive criticism you have. I'll try to update as much as possible, with a full intent of completing this story. (Although I have no idea how this will end!) Read (and review if you please) and thanks for sharing your time with me!  
>GO GRUVIA! :3<em>

_*Revised* Thanks Stebbi for helping me out! I modified the story slightly, but the lack of flow is probably still present. I will re-read the chapter again soon, in hopes to ameliorate it. Maybe you can point out exactly where it is that makes the story abrupt? Thank you so much for your feedback!_

_Thanks to CryCrimson as well! I'm glad I got a smile out of you, because your comment definitely put one on my face! _


	2. Chapter 2: Home is where the heart is

**Chapter 2**

It was rare to see Juvia smile. Ever since she was abandoned by her mother and left as an illegitimate child to Jose, her unrelated father, the curl on Juvia's lips seemed to disappear. It was unsafe to allow people to see her smile- her father might be suspicious and punish her for no reason, or rumors around the court would stir, possibly saying the water mage was up to no good, bringing a bad omen with her unfamiliar grin. But as she stood in front of the degenerated building in front of her, Juvia let all those worries fly away. She was now in the poorer side of Crocus, and no one avoided her because they knew not of her past. Civilians even stopped to say hello and gave small talk to her.

The blunette barely pushed the creaking, broken gate open when she heard a familiar voice come from the interior of the building.

"Juvia-nee!" cried a child, with short pink hair. She looked no more than 7 years old, as she ran up to Juvia and hugged her leg tightly.

"Meredy, Juvia has missed you!" The water mage knelt down to be at height with the little girl. Juvia wrapped her arms around Meredy and embraced her in a warm hug.

"What did you bring us today?" Meredy asked curiously. She gave a toothy grin as she tried to uncover the woven basket that hung from Juvia's arm.

"Juvia has brought everyone breakfast. We can enjoy it with everyone else at home," Juvia replied, smiling at Meredy as she grabbed her hand.

Juvia always used the word "home" instead of "orphanage" when she was around the kids. She never liked how cold, isolating, and cruel orphanage sounded. The few kids who still remained here needed to feel comfortable, and saying orphanage would just make them sound unwanted and abandoned. Just like Juvia. _No kids should go through what I've been through,_ she would think to herself. _If they must be abandoned, Juvia will make sure they go to a good family when adopted, and not one that will use them for slavery or labor._ Although Juvia could not control how she ended up with Jose, she definitely knew she could help the kids by reviewing parents who wanted to adopt. The perk about being the "daughter" of a Duke, or with any relationship to the castle, was the ability to review files of the commoners in the kingdom. Juvia could know straight away which family was honest, and which one had a criminal past.

A tug on her hand interrupted her thoughts. Meredy was still grinning widely as she pulled Juvia into the shelter.

"Guys! Juvia-nee is here! And she brought us food!" Meredy shouted with delight.

"Juvia-nee is here?" a voice asked with excitement. The girl appeared before Juvia. She had long blue hair tied up in a pony tail and was fitted in a one piece tribal-looking green dress. The little girl, no older than Meredy, held a white plushy cat against her chest.

"Hurrah! Juvia-nee is here!" shouted another voice, this time coming from a short, black haired boy. He was wearing a plain t-shirt and shorts.

"Good morning, Wendy and Romeo!" Juvia greeted them with much enthusiasm. "Juvia has brought some breakfast that we can all share today."

"Good, because I'm starving!" Romeo replied, licking his lips as he imagined a feast awaiting him.

Juvia and the three orphans walked to an old, deteriorated wooden table surrounded by matching wooden stools. Bringing the basket to the table revealed a bounty of golden cheeses and soft bread, surrounded by fresh apples. At once the children grabbed their share and started to munch on them furiously. Normally, Juvia would tell them to eat slowly and more politely, but she remembered that they didn't eat last night. Usually, Juvia would meet the kids in the morning and leave enough food for them until the next day, leaving only due to her father's commands that she was to be back to make lunch and supper for him. But yesterday, Juvia was unable to bring food to the orphanage. Jose woke up early in the morning to meet with Bora, a tradesman, to discuss business in Crocus. The maiden had to clean the house spotless before Bora arrived, and then make them both a hearty breakfast.

"This is yummy," Wendy said as she licked the cheese off her fingers.

"Yeah, give me some more of your cheese!" Romeo yelled, attempting to grab what was left on Wendy's plate.

"Nooo! Juvia-nee, stop Romeo from taking my food!" Wendy cried, teary eyed as she hugged her cat plushy even tighter.

"Romeo, remember that everyone is just as hungry as you. Please know that we are a family, and that sharing is what is most important to making everyone happy," Juvia said kindly, brushing Romeo's hair with her hand.

"Okay…Sorry Wendy, I was just hungry," Romeo said, with a slight blush on his cheeks.

"It's okay, Romeo. Here, you can have some of mine." Wendy pushed her plate toward Romeo.

Juvia's eyes softened. She knew how hard it was for orphans to grow up, constantly hungry. If she could, she would buy them all the food in the world. But the strict allowance that Juvia was given was usually to buy food for Jose's lunch and dinner. The few extra coins Juvia saved up to buy the food for the shelter was from her savings as a little girl.

"No, Wendy. Please keep your share. How about we divide Juvia's share, and everyone can have more?" Juvia chimed. She began cutting her portion into thirds.

"But won't Juvia-nee get hungry?" Meredy noted. Her face was filled with crumbs.

Juvia giggled as she brushed the scattered bread off of Meredy's cheek.

"Juvia is not hungry. She ate a large breakfast this morning. This is all for you." Lying was never a good thing, but in this case, Juvia made the exception. In truth, she hadn't eaten at all this morning, but there was no way she would let the kids go hungry again like yesterday.

Meredy flashed another grin as she helped herself to seconds. Meredy, like the other two, had a tragic past. Her local town was destroyed in a fire, only her father and her made it to the capital in hopes to beg the king for aid to the blazed village. He died of lung complications before he had the chance to even set foot into the royal palace. Aid was eventually sent, but Meredy was picked up by some townspeople of Crocus and placed here, in the orphanage. Juvia would sing her to sleep most nights in her early days of visiting, as tears fell down the little girl's face. But now Meredy was able to live fully again, happy to have companions such as Romeo and Wendy by her side.

Wendy was a mystery still to Juvia. The newest edition to the family, Wendy was reluctant to speak much about her biological family, besides her brother, who also had blue hair. She never went into details about him, and Juvia only knew that he one day left Wendy here in the middle of the night, with no one around, telling her that he'd return to her. It had been two years since that incident. Besides that, Wendy kept to herself a lot, playing with her white cat plushy, which she adorably named "Charle."

Romeo was boisterous, as usual. He didn't seem phased by the fact that he had no parents, and Juvia didn't know much about his past because he was there before she found out about the orphanage. No one pushed Romeo to explain his past, and Juvia didn't care either, as long as everyone was genuinely happy now, in the present. She patted his head as he raced to eat the rest of the food on his plate.

"Remember to save some for dinner tonight," Juvia calmly said. She looked at them endearingly, as if they were her own children. Even though the young maiden was only 18 and too young to be a parent, she learned to treat them as her own and has become very protective of them.

The kids soon finished their meal and pulled Juvia from the chair. Eagerly, they got off their seats and started running out the door.

"Let's go play outside," Meredy insisted, pulling on the blunette's sleeve. Juvia smiled and happily complied. Wendy and Romeo walked out with them and soon the younglings began to kick a flat, rubber ball against the rough pavement.

As they kept busy, Juvia began really looking at the building. She sighed in an upsetting manner. The walls were dirty and the front yard still seemed impossible to work with. With a deep breath, Juvia began to materialize cool water from her hands. She started weaving her hands in a familiar motion, allowing a steady stream of liquid to wash the muddy dirt off the walls of the orphanage.

Magic at this time of age was not as abundant before. People began to lose the sight of magic and forgotten the art of it all. Even Juvia herself, who learned water magic from her late mother, knew only how to do simple tasks with her power. Her mother always reminded Juvia of the potential she had, but once her mother had abandoned her, it felt like her magic had been taken away from her as well.

Once the wall was cleaned, Juvia removed something from her pocket- apple seeds that remained after lunch.

"Juvia-nee, what are you doing?" Wendy piped.

"Juvia thought it would be nice to try to plant something out here. That way whenever you are hungry, you can always come to this apple tree. It would also make this place look a little more lively," Juvia responded, smiling at Wendy's curiosity.

"The seeds will become FOOD?" Romeo asked, slightly drooling.

"Yes. These seeds are just like you all, small and tiny at first, but growing stronger despite the adversity," Juvia said, with pride in her eyes.

"Really? We are like apple trees?" Meredy questioned. The little girl paused and thought to herself. "Then that must mean Juvia-nee is like a flower blossoming in the rain! Even though it rains a lot you are still always happy like a flower!"

Juvia giggled. Even though Juvia had no idea why it always rained so much around her, she was thankful it only sprinkled from time to time when she visited the orphanage. She was always in a better mood there, and the rain always seemed to coincidentally pair up with her feelings.

Soon the kids fell tired of the outside activities. Everyone headed back inside, with the children collapsing into a deep sleep. Juvia took off her cloak and blanketed the kids as they snored softly. Romeo had his limbs sprawled all over the single, ragged mattress that the kids shared, with Wendy and Meredy to either side of him. In the midst of the silence, Juvia's stomach growled.

"Juvia hasn't eaten all day," she whispered aloud.

Food…then she thought about the next meal time-dinner. DINNER! Juvia suddenly remembered that her father had an incoming visitor today and that he told her to prepare dinner! Panicking, Juvia left the orphanage, but not before taking one more loving look at the kids before she scurried off to town.

"Juvia will not make it in time!" she yelped. The only thing she could think of was to go to the ramen shop down south. Jose adored that ramen shop, and she knew that he would not drop any complaints if she brought that home as dinner. As she reached the store, a familiar figure stood before her.

"What do you mean, I have to pay you, you old man?" a distinguishable, low voice growled. "I asked you for directions, and instead you gave me a bowl of ramen! I don't have money to pay for this!"

"Whaaaaaat? I thought you said you wanted spicy pork ramen," the old man behind the counter said. He had white hair sprouting from the sides of his head, but balding evidently in the middle. He was short, sporting a traditional _happi_ and wore a kind, wrinkled smile, seemingly clueless to the man's annoyance.

"G-gray-san?" Juvia asked, as she cautiously stood behind his heavy armor.

"Oi, it's you! Juvia! Listen, I'm, er, lost again. But first of all, help me get this old man off my back!" Gray vexed.

"Manager-san, it's Juvia," she started.

"Ohhhhh? Juvia-chan? You are such a sweet girl. Isn't she sweet?" the old man said, to no one in particular. It was becoming clear to Gray that the owner of this shop was getting a bit senile. "Well, this handsome man must be your boyfriend, am I right?"

"Eh?" Juvia's face began to flush red for the hundredth time today. Gray didn't seem to hear what he said, as he was searching the right road to lead him to his destination.

"N-no, I just met-"Juvia began, stammering.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll let him off this time. He won't have to pay for that order. Consider yourself lucky!" he said to Gray, while winking at Juvia.

"Lucky? I didn't even order that!" Gray argued, with a slight vein popping out of his temple.

Juvia's head started spinning. Gray's voice was still loud and the manager just kept smiling and nodding at Gray. But she had to be home soon, or her father would surely punish her if she were late.

"Listen, manager-san. Please give me two beef curry ramens to-go. I must be home soon…" Juvia explained. Her heart was doing flip flops as she placed her order while standing next to Gray.

The urgency in Juvia's voice must have made the old man snap out of his senile-like trance. He quickly went back into the kitchen as Juvia and Gray waited outside the booth.

"So," Gray started. "Like I was saying…"

Juvia dared not look into his eyes as he spoke. His dark, beautiful eyes. She was afraid that she would get sucked into his handsome features, from the scar on top of his right eyebrow, to the striking jaw line that framed his face.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?" Gray said, slightly irritated. He waved his hand in front of Juvia. She was staring down at the floor, nervously twiddling her fingers.

"O-oh! Juvia is sorry, what was it you said, Gray-san?" Juvia asked embarrassedly, as her hand clutched over her pounding heart. As soon as faced him to reply, she was enwrapped by his face, and her pale skin began to feel tingly, as if Gray were electric to her.

Just then, the old man came out with two hot, packaged ramens to-go.

"Thank you, manager-san," Juvia said, grateful that he came at the right time so she would not face further embarrassment in front of Gray. The water mage paid for her meal and began walking away from Gray. For some reason, her heart wavered when Gray was around, and she needed to flee from his presence in order to feel normal again.

"Oi! Where are you going? I still need your help," Gray grunted, reaching for Juvia as she tried to walk away. A strong, yet gentle ice-cold grip was placed on Juvia's shoulder.

Juvia almost dropped her meal.

"I-I, home," Juvia managed to choke out, too confused from his conflicting cold touch and her warmth radiating from her cheeks. She always yearned to talk to someone, but now that she had the chance to, especially with such a handsome solider, the words just couldn't seem to flow.

Gray looked at the blue-haired maiden curiously. She was acting flustered, and he had no idea why. He eyed the wrinkly manager, who gave him a thumbs-up. _Could it be…forbidden love between them? Is she acting like this because of…__**him?**_ Gray shook away the creepy thought with disgust and mentally slapped himself for even thinking of something so out of reach.

"Anyway," Gray began, still a bit suspicious of the possibility of a forbidden romance. "I need your help again finding my way. He's pretty well-known here, so I hope you know where his headquarters are. I'm due for a dinner with the duke. Duke Jose."

"WHAT?" Juvia cried. Her jaw dropped to the floor.

This time she really did drop the meal.

Gray luckily caught the take-out dinner in time before it hit the floor. The old man, still watching from afar, started giggling and dancing in his sandals behind the counter at the event unfolding before him. Gray shot him a dirty look.

"I said, I'm going to have dinner with Duke Jose," Gray repeated, raising his eyebrow.

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><p><strong>AN:**

_That's it for chapter 2! It's a bit longer than the last one, but still short nonetheless. I hope this story doesn't feel like it's dragged out. If it is, please let me know! Message me, review, or whatever works best. I hope that as I continue to write, longer chapters will come. And I do apologize if the characters are OOC, but I tried my best to stay as close to the traits as possible. I am super new to fanfiction, so again, let me in on some constructive criticism! Or even any ideas for the storyline in general!_

_Also- yay! The kiddos are here! When I thought about writing this, I always wanted to incorporate just a small bit about children into the storyline. I still don't know what I'll do with them- they may play a very insignificant role as of now. I thought to myself though- if I were to add kids to my storyline, might as well use some of those kawaii characters in fairy tail! So yeah, they are younger in this story than in the actual manga, but I thought it'd be nice to shine a small limelight on them _

_And last but not least- the store owner was wearing a happi. This is a traditional clothing usually worn only by store keepers in festivals. (In the story there is no festival, but I liked it nonetheless :D) _

_Thanks to all who read!_

_-GreenTeaCake_


	3. Chapter 3: Dinner with The Duke

**Chapter 3: Dinner with The Duke**

**Hey guys, here is chapter 3! Before I start, I really want to thank you guys for the reviews. Although it only takes a moment of your time, it really makes my day to know people are reading this, and my efforts to write aren't going in vain. Thanks again!**

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><p>Juvia walked quietly along side Gray. Their feet shuffled quietly against the dirt road as silence filled the air. The blue haired maiden glanced at Gray- he seemed to be filled with thoughts of his own, not even a slither of shock across his face, unlike Juvia.<p>

"_W-what?" Juvia gave Gray a confused look as she took a step back from the handsome soldier. _

_Gray gave Juvia an annoyed look. 'How many times do I need to repeat myself with this stupid woman?' he thought._

"_Duke Jose. Where does he live?" he grunted, obviously tired of repeating himself._

"_Juvia knows where he lives. W-why would you want to seek Duke Jose? Has something happened?" Juvia asked, with a concerned look on her face. Although Juvia did not like her abusive father, she still felt some attachment to him, because he was the only one who didn't abandon her. _

"_I am to discuss an important matter with the Duke. King Heartfilia sent me to talk to him," Gray explained. He stroked his hand in his hair, knowing that the conversation would end here. The King gave him specific instructions to keep this mission quiet._

"_Oh, i-is that right?" she asked. Juvia saw Gray's jaw tighten, and seemed to understand that this matter was private. But it's not like she wouldn't find out anyways, because Gray was apparently the guest that she was suppose to serve tonight! "Juvia knows the way. This is because Juvia is the daughter of Duke Jose."_

_Gray raised an eyebrow at her._

"_What?"_

"_Juvia is the daughter of the Duke. She will show you the way," Juvia said, slightly tugging on the sleeve of Gray's outfit. Although she was shocked, her senses flowed back to her. Father did not like for anyone to be late. _Ever. _And if he found out it was Juvia's fault that his guest was late, he would surely make her remember to be punctual._

_He looked at her as she pulled on his sleeve. She looked like an adorable lost puppy._

' Wait, what?_' Gray Fullbuster mentally slapped himself. Why was he thinking like that? Yeah, she's cute, but it's not like he gave a crap about that. He looked away from Juvia with the slightest tint of pink on his face. He had to keep his focus on the mission._

Juvia and Gray walked the rest of the way silently home. At times, the girl would steal quick glances at the handsome soldier, and immediately look away, blushing enough that others would think she was a tomato. Gray, on the other hand, returned to his stoic face, thinking about his duty and what needed to be done by the end of tonight.

Juvia was about to open the door, but Duke Jose beat her to it.

"Ah! Welcome Gray-san!" The duke's voice was overfriendly as he opened the door to welcome him. "Please, please. Make yourself at home."

He glared at Juvia as Gray stepped into the house. She was tardy- but only by a bit. If the night goes well, he might forget about it and Juvia would be spared without a bruise.

Gray eyed around the house. It was huge- with a dramatic wooden staircase swirling down in front of him. The velvet carpet beneath his feet tickled his skin as he stepped inside. The walls were painted a gleaming white, decorated by portraits of none other than the Duke himself. Gray rolled his eyes- he never understood why rich people needed to establish themselves with grandiose painting of them. He looked around a bit more- some beautiful crystal chandeliers hung above the kitchen table, and expensive trinkets for decorations lay around. He saw no portraits of Juvia- in fact, if Juvia had not said so earlier, Gray would have thought the Duke lived here by himself.

"Juvia, where is dinner?" Duke Jose growled.

Gray looked at her. Was it just him, or did he feel a great deal of animosity coming from the Duke?

"H-here it is," Juvia whimpered, as she held out the two bowls of ramen, still neatly tucked and warm in the to-go box.

The soldier watched as Juvia shrunk a bit. '_Why is she so scared of him?' _he thought.

"Good," Duke Jose barked. His eyes were hungrily scanning the meal, almost in an animalistic-like manner. "Now go clean the kitchen and scrub the floors. Gray-san and I have some talking to do."

"Yes, certainly," Juvia replied, still shaking in her voice. She hastily rushed to the kitchen, which was the room right next to where Gray and Duke Jose would dine.

Gray glanced at Juvia as she ran to do her chores. For some reason, he felt his hands tighten into a ball of fists. He didn't like the way Duke Jose treated her. But for the sake of his mission, Gray ignored his sudden rise of anger and tried to calm himself down.

Gray looked into the man's eyes. This time, he was able to get a real look of Duke Jose. He had green eyes, unlike Juvia's dark blue ones. His reddish black hair was tied into a short pony tail, but those features were masked by his sharp eyebrows and his cold stare. He had a long mustache and a broad chin, making him seem to be an unwelcoming fellow. Gray concluded that Juvia must have gotten her looks from her mother.

"So, Duke Jose, shall we get started with business?" Gray spoke, interrupting the tension between the family members.

"Ah, certainly my boy! But first, let us sit down and eat. Juvia's a good cook, but because of her stupidity she must have forgotten about the dinner and bought some food on the way here. I hope this is fitted for you. I'm surprised she even had the money to buy two meals. Most of the money we make goes to me- I am the Duke, you know. Power comes with a price!" the Duke huffed arrogantly, fists pounding on the table as he laughed a bit too loudly.

"Food is food," Gray growled, a bit too harshly. As an orphan, when his family and Ur, the sensei who taught him ice magic, died, starvation was a reoccurring enemy for Gray. Plus, he didn't like the fact that he talked loudly enough for Juvia to hear in the other room. The walls were thin.

Duke Jose looked a bit taken aback from Gray's response. Gray noticed and quickly reoriented himself.

"I mean- yes, this ramen will be fine." Gray forced a small smile out of himself. Except that 'smile' wasn't really a smile- it looked like a face of that who wanted to strangle someone.

'_Opps.' _Gray thought. He really needed to work on showing better facial expressions. His face was usually stoic, since the tragedy of Ur. But in order to convince the Duke, he needed to put on a show. He tried to smile again, thinking about gentler thoughts.

"Boy, you smelling something funny?" the Duke asked. He was confused at why Gray's face mangled into what he thought was the strangest facial expression he had ever seen.

'_Dammit!' _This wasn't working out for Gray. He decided to cut right to the chase.

"No, I'm fine," the black haired boy said, with his normal, apathetic face returning to him. "Let's start discussion. I was delivered by the king to watch over you, as a bodyguard."

"Ha!" The Duke snorted to himself. "Yes! I knew it. The King finally realizes how important I am. Yes, yes. If I were to die, devastation would be brought upon this capital. I was once a nobody- just like you!" the Duke cried.

Gray wanted to punch him in the face until his mother wouldn't recognize him. But he refrained, trying to think of anything to keep him calm-puppies, flowers, and snow cones. He let the man continue.

"But I was a smart boy, I was. I got into the business of trade. And before you knew it, I was bringing profit to all of Crocus with my deals and smooth talk! I practically funded this nation!" Duke Jose yelled with joy. "I sometimes can't even believe it myself. I really am such a worthy person." He had tears in his eyes.

'_Give me a break,_' Gray thought. But he just nodded and agreed.

"You certainly are, Duke Jose," Gray managed to say, between gritting his teeth and trying not to dump his ramen over Duke Jose for his excessive pride.

"I like that. 'Duke Jose.' I was appointed that title due to my honorable actions in financing this capital. That idiot of a King should have handed me that title years ago! But I will forgive his blindness, since he is sending me a bodyguard," the Duke spat, in between his bites of noodles and swallowing.

Gray looked at the Duke eat in a most repugnant matter- hell, Gray knew what he looked like when he ate at the brink of starvation- but it wasn't even close to how the man in front of him was eating. The Duke seemed to have forgotten his manners, slurping, snorting, and making a mess everywhere. Gray looked at his own meal. He would have stopped eating a while ago due to the gruesome image appearing in front of him, but he remembered how the Duke's daughter bought it with her own money. He decided to finish it.

"Well," Gray started, now that both were done with the meal. "Are you willing to accept the offer of a body guard? I will maintain your safety at all times. Anyone who tries to disrupt your peace will be prosecuted."

"Are you an idiot, my boy? Of course I'll take the King up on his offer! It's good to know how distinguished I am. Long live Duke Jose!" The man laughed obnoxiously as he got up to pat the soldier on his back.

Gray smirked. Who would of thought that fooling the Duke would be this easy? He thanked the Duke's arrogance that blinded him from seeing Gray's true intentions.

"Now, if you'll just sign this paper in agreement to the King's offer, it will be officially recognized," Gray said, handing him the document.

"Right my boy!" Duke Jose signed the papers and pushed it back to Gray a little too forcefully. "Now, as my new body guard, I order you to send it back to the King immediately!" He laughed a hearty laugh, and walked away from the kitchen. Before he left, he shouted to Juvia.

"Girl! Clean up the kitchen and prepare the guest bedroom for Gray-san! Make sure he finds his way to the castle to properly deliver the message!"

Juvia's mouth dropped to the floor. She heard the whole conversation through the kitchen walls. Gray-san was staying with them? As in _living_ together? Juvia's heart pitter pattered. She paced the kitchen floor back and forth, trying not to faint from the news. Gray-san, the mysterious and handsome Gray-san, was staying with them?

"JUVIA!" The voice roared out.

"Y-yes!" Juvia squeaked out. She scurried to where Gray was. "Gray-san, please follow me to the palace."

She bowed to the Duke and walked quickly out of the house.

"Your father is something else, huh?" Gray said, rolling his eyes, once they were outside and walking toward the castle.

"Yes- the Duke can be rather…_proud_ of his work," Juvia mumbled. "B-but he is good at heart! He didn't abandon Juvia when everyone else did!"

This caught Gray's attention.

"Abandoned?"

Juvia immediately covered her hands over her mouth. Why did she say that? Was it because she didn't have a meal all day and couldn't think straight? Now he would surely find out about her shameful past and want to steer away from her.

"Erm, nothing. That is of the past," Juvia murmured. She looked down and dared not stare into the intensity of Gray's eyes.

"Huh." Gray looked at the blue haired girl. She was nervously playing with her hands and darting her eyes from left to right on the road.

"Oi- stop being so nervous," Gray ordered. "We are going to be together for a while, so quit it with your anxiety."

'_Together?_' Juvia thought. '_Juvia isn't ready for this!' _But she did love the stranger at her side. Wait, love? No, she just thought he was handsome. But he was her father's body guard. Her world was spinning. Or was it her head? The fatigue of hunger finally hit Juvia, as she began to fall to the dirt road.

Gray looked at her with a bewildering manner. Why was she turning red so fast? And she's…dancing? Isn't she the Duke's daughter? Shouldn't she be a bit more graceful when she sways from side to side? Wait, she wasn't dancing. Juvia was _fainting._

Gray caught her just as she was about to make impact with the floor. He helped her tightly to his chest.

"Juvia? Juvia? Are you okay?" Gray's expression finally changed from his cool face to a concerned and worried look. He held her tighter when she didn't respond.

"Oh god, please don't die!" He gently brushed off the mage's bangs away from her face.

What the hell was he supposed to do? He wasn't a doctor! He picked her up princess style and began to run to the castle for treatment. But just as he began to move, Juvia squirmed in his arms.

"Eh?" She squinted and saw Gray. The she realized she was in his arms.

"EH?" Juvia stammered, escaping from his arms. She turned all shades of red. "Juvia is sorry! She didn't mean to faint. Juvia was just hungry and did not eat at all yet today."

He released the girl, who appeared a bit paler than before. She looked shaken up, embarrassed even.

"You didn't eat at all today?" Gray questioned.

"No, Juvia was busy and hadn't had time to grab a bite. She is sorry for fainting so easily and-"

Gray interrupted her.

"Let's go to the castle, _now. _We will get you something to eat," Gray growled protectively. Even Gray didn't know why he was acting like this. He blamed it on his role as a body guard- he just assumed that if the girl was in trouble, the Duke would fire him, messing up the whole plan. Not the he _cared_ for her or anything like that.

Juvia nodded politely and began to walk. With one step, Juvia wobbled and weakly tripped. Gray caught her before she bashed into the floor.

"Let's just take it slow. Here, lean on me while we walk." Gray commanded.

Juvia's heart raced at his suggestion. But she was too weak to reject the embarrassing gesture. Silently, she leaned her body against the body guard's arm-it was cool to touch but muscular and strong. She wrapped one arm around his and tugged his sleeve with the other hand.

Gray looked at her nervously. _'Why am I feeling so uneasy? Girls do this all the time to me."_ He was annoyed at why he couldn't pinpoint the source of this feeling. But he wasn't entirely bothered by this- Juvia was snuggled tightly against him so she wouldn't fall. She fit perfectly into his arm as they took small strides together. And damn, did her hair smell good…

'_Stop,' _Gray instructed himself. What the hell was he thinking? He returned to his icy cold demeanor and distracted himself of what he would say to the King once they returned to the palace.

As the two reached the palace, Gray shined his badge to the guards. They nodded and let them in. Large outdoor corridors welcomed the two. The design of the palace was impeccable- with while marble arcs stretching to what seemed like infinity in the large castle. Statues of past heroes and goddesses looked so realistic that one might mistake them for a real person if it were dark enough. The concrete road seemed to have bits of gold on the tiles, emitted flashes of golden rays as they walked. Several maids walked past Gray, giggling as they slyly pointed at the handsome soldier. Some blushed while others eyed him with a crazed lustful look on their face. Gray was used to this. He knew he could steal a woman any time he wanted to, but refused to do so. He had no time for such trivial manners. But what he _wasn't_ used to was the glares he received quickly after the maids noticed Juvia at his side.

Juvia felt the piercing stares at them as they walked down the corridors. She quickly released Gray from her grip.

"What's wrong?" Gray asked, with a conflicted look.

"Juvia does not want the maids to hate Gray-san." She glanced at the maids who were scowling at her.

"Why are they making that angry face at you, anyway?" Gray questioned.

"It is a long and boring story that Gray-san would probably not like to hear," Juvia said quickly. She took a step forward but almost collapsed as she did so.

Again, Gray caught her.

"No need to play hero. I don't care what anyone else thinks. I stopped caring a long time ago."

With that, Gray pulled Juvia to his side as he wrapped his strong arm over Juvia's shoulder. Juvia knew that she was going to faint soon, but this time it wasn't from hunger. It was from Gray's musk, which smelled woody yet fresh. It was from his strong hand that clasped her shoulder. It was the intensity of his eyes when he said those words.

Juvia wanted to pull away from him, because she knew they would be the talk of the castle's gossip tomorrow. But his arm stayed sturdy- he didn't budge as she tried to squeeze out of his arm. She finally gave up and leaned against his chest.

"Ugh, look at her. What is she doing in the palace anyway?" a maid said with disgust.

"Yeah, even if she is the daughter of the Duke, it means nothing," the other maid sneered, loud enough for both of them to hear.

Juvia knew what they said was right. Her father earned the title as a Duke. Even though Juvia was his "daughter," the title of Duke or Duchess could not be passed down so easily. To the maids, Juvia was just a pathetic excuse of a wannabe royalty, using her father to gain riches and admiration. But what they didn't know was Juvia's yearning to just be free, and away from it all. It was a shame she was too scared to leave Duke Jose, in fear of what might happen if he ever caught her. She dared not leave her house even for a full day.

"And why is that handsome man with _her?_ She must have begged him to walk with her, so she can look like she has friends," one snickered.

"Hey, rain woman, how much did you pay him so he could walk with you? 5000 jewels? Not that it would matter, since you probably just go asking Dear Daddy for money!" the other maid shouted wickedly.

Gray had enough. This was why he never wanted to be involved with girls. Where they all that heartless? He was about to shout some obscenity at the two cruel maids, but he felt a small tug on his shirt. Gray looked down to see Juvia, teary eyed, nodding her head to say "no" and to let it go. Gray growled in a low tone, but decided to adhere to Juvia's wish. He unconsciously hugged her a bit tighter as they walked to the King's room.

The weather changed rapidly, and began to drizzle. Dark clouds were forming and soon the soothing drizzle of rain could be heard gentling hitting against the pavement. Gray wondered what had caused this sudden shift- it was sunny in the morning and the sky seemed to have no intention of raining earlier on.

Both took a seat down at the bench as Gray waved for a servant to tell the King that he had arrived. The servant nodded and informed him that His Majesty was currently in a meeting, but would be done soon.

Gray was still fuming at what had just happened. Juvia was shaking from the rejection of the maids, trying hard not to let the tears escape from her eyes. She grabbed the hem of her skirt with her tiny fists and used every ounce of willpower not to cry.

Gray, still looking down at the aisle where the maids were, didn't notice this.

"Those girls were stupid, huh?" Gray suggested, in hopes of easing the situation.

Then he heard a sniffle.

"W-whoa, wait!" Gray nervously said, looking at Juvia to see tears streaming down her face. If anything, Gray's weakness was a girl crying. "Hey, don't be like that! Who cares what they think- they probably feed off of breaking down someone's spirit. So just cheer up, okay? Don't let them get to you!" Gray felt extremely uncomfortable- he moved back a bit from the crying maiden.

"B-but, the girls are right," Juvia managed to croak out, still sniffling. "Juvia is not wanted. She is just depressing all the time."

Gray's eyes softened as he looked at her.

"Hey, don't say that. They were just a couple of bitches. They didn't have the right to talk to you like that."

"Juvia doesn't mind what they said that much- but they will now think badly of you. Being with Juvia, even for just a moment, is taboo in the castle. Juvia is sorry," she said softly, between her tears and hiccups.

"Why is that? I don't think you are like that. You are pretty damn nice, if you ask me," Gray said defiantly. He then realized what he said and blushed a bit, frowning with angry that he let those words spill from his mouth.

Juvia looked up to him. No one has ever said that to her before, besides the children at the orphanage and a few commoners she met on the outskirts of town.

"But Gray-san will not think that once he knows of Juvia's past," Juvia said sadly.

"Why? Everyone has a past. The important part is what you do with your future. That is what will define you," Gray spoke, as if he could relate to his words.

Juvia's tears began to rapidly fall from her eyes. At this point, she could not control the flow of the water.

"W-wait! I didn't mean to make you cry more! I take back what I said! I take it back!" Gray was almost shouting.

A small smile escaped Juvia's lips as the tears on her cheeks accelerated.

"No, what Gray-san said was beautiful. I only hope that everyone would think like you. But Juvia is not really Duke Jose's daughter," she explained.

"What?" Gray had a dumbfound look on his face.

"Well, Juvia _is_ his daughter, per say, but not exactly. Juvia's mother had an affair with another man. I am the illegitimate child of Duke Jose." Juvia had shame in her voice. "Father tried to cover it well, but rumors like to fly. People began seeing Juvia as a disgrace and an unwanted child. All of Juvia's friends stopped talking to her. The maids at the castle ignored me, and soon, rain always started falling whenever I was around. Juvia was labeled as an unwanted ameonna." Juvia's voice began to break.

Gray moved closer to her, reluctant to hold her hand to comfort her.

"Juvia…" he said, quietly. Just as he was about to place his hands on hers, the servant from earlier on appeared.

"Soldier Fullbuster, the King is now free. He wants to see you immediately," the servant said, interrupting the small moment that Gray and Juvia had. Gray immediately withdrew his hand away from hers. The servant looked at Juvia, and made a 'tch' sound has he walked away.

Juvia had a look of hurt on her face, but tried to cheer up. Like she said herself, no one wanted a depressing girl all the time. She forced a smile and looked at him.

"You better go, or the King will not be happy," she said, with a weak smile. "Juvia is sorry she let you hear all that."

Gray hated to leave her there, but his mission was above all else.

"Just wait right here," he said, quickly rushing off.

He soon returned with a small green tea cake in his hand.

"Eat this and go home and rest. I will be back after I am done talking to the King, and I'll see you later at the house."

Juvia took the cake from his hand, and smiled a genuine smile. She was not used to being treated kindly, and she appreciated Gray's thoughtfulness.

"Thank you, Gray-san." Juvia's face warmed up from her smile and the tears ceased.

Gray was taken off guard at how quickly Juvia's mood changed from such a simple action. Wasn't it normal to give a starving person some food? Why was she smiling at such a small gesture, when she was just being the victim of such a brutal attack? But damn, she looked pretty when she smiled. It was like an aura of light surrounded her.

"Uh, yeah. Whatever," Gray mumbled, with a light hue of red surrounding his cheeks, as he waved her off and started to walk toward the King's meeting room.

He didn't look back, afraid of what else of an affect Juvia would have on him. As the rain stopped drizzling, he thought to himself.

'_When did I become so damn sensitive?' _

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

_Tada! New chapter, hurry! It's longer this time too. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and yes, I'll admit Mr. Fullbuster was very in touch with his sensitive side this chapter. I guess you can say he was struggling with this manly counterpart. Maybe Juvia has unlocked some new sides of Gray? :o But savior this moment, because I don't think I'll make Gray this sensitive for a long time. Muahaha!_

_Did you notice something else, too? King Heartfilia! Yes, that means our dear Lu-chan will appear…somewhere in the story line. _

_And yes, he gave her a green tea cake. I couldn't help myself- have you guys TRIED those things? They are damn delicious x_x_

_Anyone else hate Duke Jose? I enjoyed writing his part, hehe! _

_Also- I finally thought out the entire plot of the story. I hope you guys will enjoy it!_

_So, tell me some feedback. Am I rambling on too much in certain places? And please point out some grammatical errors- I am a grammar nazi and I really hate it when I make simple mistakes like that. But please don't be too harsh ;~; _

_-GreenTeaCake_


	4. Chapter 4: A flour for you

**Chapter 4: A Flour for You**

Gray solemnly entered into the King's office. He was surprised at the surroundings- he almost expected the King's office to be adorned in diamonds and gold, with fur carpets and large portraits of the King himself hung up. Instead, he found the office to be quite normal- luxurious still, with the large mahogany desk and silk chairs- but less ostentatious then he previously assumed.

King Heartfilia was seated in his chair, looking down at a large stack of papers before him. Gray heard the shuffling of these papers, along with the scribbles from his feathered pen. The King himself looked slightly distraught. His crown was tilted a bit beneath his long, blond hair, scruffy beard and mustache. He wore a simple outfit similar to what a soldier would wear- except with regal colors imprinted on his chest and what seemed to be more expensive and lighter cloth.

Gray waited for King Heatfilia to finish signing his last paper. Even though Gray had only met the King personally once before, he knew the King was a good ruler. His Majesty tried to keep Fiore's kingdom at peace during all times- sending out aid to local villages that needed help, keeping his kingdom safe of criminals, and having obvious love for his people. But Gray also noticed the wrinkles that outlined his face. Once, the King had a more youthful look. Gray had heard stories of the King venturing outside his palace with his daughter, to greet locals and keep in touch with the province. But, on an unsuspecting sunny day, his young child, at the tender age of 8, was abducted while playing in a flowering field while her caretaker had been occupied with preparing lunch. The search for the King's daughter lasted for years, but all efforts were futile in finding his beloved. Promptly after calling off the search, the King now only hid behind stacks of official documents and spent his time keeping order in Fiore from behind the castle walls.

"Ah, Gray. You've arrived," King Heartfilia remarked, as he looked up from the papers on his desk, and interrupting Gray's train of thought.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I have successfully received the signed papers from Duke Jose himself, stating that he would like for me to be his bodyguard," Gray replied in a serious tone.

"Very good. Do you think I'm being too paranoid?" The King looked up with questioning eyes.

"No, sire. I have met the man himself, and his attitude is enough to raise anyone's suspicions," Gray recalled, with a hint of disgust in his voice.

"The Duke himself is very proud of his work. While I admit he did help the capitol blossom in ways I never would have imagined through his trading business, I'm afraid he is up to no good. As you already know, there have been alarming rates of black marketing now. Dangerous and deadly magical items being sold to criminals as we speak! Many of the advisors, and myself included, suspect Duke Jose of this recent spike in activity," the King explained. "That is why I want you to keep an eye on him. Make sure that he is legally profiting, and if otherwise, report to me immediately. We can't risk the release of dark magic upon our nation."

Gray's eyes darkened with the mention of dark magic. His family died because of this. His mentor, Ur, who taught him ice magic, was killed during a battle with a demon, sacrificing herself in order to seal the beast. Whoever had summoned the monster knew of the dark magic, and wasn't afraid to use it, causing calamity and death in the hundreds when released. Pain rushed through Gray's entire body as he remembered watching Ur shatter as she destroyed the demon with her iced shell attack, taking her own life along with the monster's.

Remembering this, Gray began to speak.

"And if I take on this special task, I will be able to seek what I am looking for?"

"Of course. I am sorry about your loss of family and your mentor. However, there is no guarantee that you will find out who released the beast that brought destruction upon your village and several others 10 years ago. By allowing you to access the files of criminal records of those in Fiore, you might have a better chance at catching the culprit. Levy, our historian, maintains these records. She might be able to help you on your quest," the King announced.

Gray nodded. He knew the chances of finding his enemy were a slim one, but this was his true mission. To bring justice to Ur. To destroy whoever killed her and his family. This was his only way of increasing his chances to find out the bastard culprit that brought death upon him. Gray had done everything he could, but in the end, everyone pointed him to the King for help, due to his expansive knowledge and records of all citizens in Fiore.

"Well then, thank you, Gray. You may speak to Levy now if you like, but remember that your time here must be short. As a bodyguard for Duke Jose, you must be with him most of the time. Remember that if you are not dedicated to keeping a watch on him, I will no longer allow you to access these documents," the King declared.

"Naturally," Gray replied. He couldn't mess up with the King's deal, or else he'd never be able to find the murderer. "I will go see Levy now. Don't worry, I'll be quick. I just want to introduce myself and start some kind of lead."

"Please do so," the King said. "I've already informed Levy of your presence, so she will be expecting you as a regular visitor from now on. She is on the 5th floor of our palace."

Gray gave a deep bow and exited the room. His blood was rushing to his head, excited that starting today, he could possibly put his past to rest.

But just before Gray exited, the king coughed.

"Um, Gray?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?" He turned around tentatively.

"You forgot your clothes."

"Shit!" Gray cursed, as he swooped up his uniform, covering his bare chest, and rushed out the office.

* * *

><p>Juvia walked quietly home as she nibbled on the treat Gray gave her. The green tea cake was soft and fluffy, with sweet vanilla cream filling escaping into her mouth.<p>

She thought in silence as she reminisced about Gray's kindness.

Why was he so nice to her?

But then again, now that he works for the Duke, he was obligated to be nice to her, not because he wanted to…right?

She shrugged off the thought with a loud sigh. As she arrived home, she felt a stiff silence fill the air. Her heart felt heavy and almost immediately she knew what was waiting for her.

"Juvia, my dear…" a chilling voice whispered, ringing throughout the house.

"F-father! You are still awake. W-what can I do for you?" Juvia asked, with evident fear vibrating out her mouth. A foreboding omniscient presence soon invaded the house.

"You can't do anything for me, that is obvious. First you arrive home late, then you forget to cook dinner for our lovely guest?" Duke Jose approached Juvia at a lightening fast pace. "You serve him some simple take out, even though he was sent from the KING?"

Juvia wanted to run. But fear made her feet stick to the floor, like a deer in headlights.

"How would this reflect upon me? That the mighty Duke eats petty food from the common's side of town?" the Duke roared.

"B-but, Juvia thought you liked that place. We went there all the time…"

"That was before I was appointed duke-hood! A person of such high class like me should be only dining the best! And where did you get that money? You know that all funding should go directly to me!" The Duke's eyes were now completely dark, filled with hatred and anger.

Almost too suddenly, he raised his hand in the air and slapped Juvia. Her cheek was definitely going to swell up tonight. Juvia whimpered in fear, mortified at her father's action. Another blow was coming. She raised her hands above her head to protect herself, allowing for the hit to damage her arm, rather than her face.

She noticed that this hit hurt more than it usually did. _A lot more_. She raised her head with distress in her eyes, only to realize that a dark purple wave of magic surrounded him.

Juvia's eyes widened in fear. He had used _magic_ to hit her. Only one other time did he attack her like that; right after her mother had disappeared. Quickly, she looked at her arm that prevented the strike from hitting her face. Blood tricked down the small gash on her arm, with an evident bruise already forming.

"S-sorry! Please forgive me father. Juvia will make sure to never do it again!" Juvia implored, with hot streaks of tears sliding down her face.

"Very good, Juvia," the Duke cackled, with a wicked grin still plastered on his face. "Remember to not make me look like a fool next time. Set up the guestroom for that brat bodyguard when he returns, and take him around town tomorrow to familiarize him with the city. And stop that senseless third person talk while you are at it."

"I will certainly do so," Juvia said, still quaking in her voice. She tried to regain her composure.

The Duke left to sleep in his room. As soon as the blunette was sure he was upstairs, she quickly ran to the kitchen to grab the medical aid. Tending to herself, with silent tears trickling down her burning cheeks, Juvia tried to apprehend what had just happened. She knew her father could use magic, but it was rare that he ever did so in front of her. The Duke's magical ability was astounding; Juvia remember him once bragging about the power he had within the palm of his hands, unlike herself, who only knew how to use magic for simple things. Most magic users at this day and age only knew the very basics to help out with daily chores.

Juvia shuddered at the thought as she finished wrapping her arm and placing ice to her swollen cheek. She was reminded of the kids at the orphanage, and she quickly began to bake a sheppard's pie for them, trying to push away the terrifying event that just unfolded before her.

* * *

><p>Gray walked up to the circulation desk on the fifth floor of the King's palace. The desk was messy, with books piling on top of each other endlessly, and papers disoriented everywhere.<p>

"Hello?" Gray asked, even thought it was obvious no one was behind the desk.

But a voice rang out in response.

"Just a minute! I'll be there soon!"

A petite, blue-haired girl with short, wavy hair arrived at the desk. Following her was a short, old man with a stack of books in his hands.

"Thank you for the help, Levy-Chan!" The old nodded in appreciation and walked out.

"No problem, Makarov! Tell me how those books are!" Levy replied with a sweet smile.

Levy's attention soon diverted to Gray.

"That was Makarov, the King's advisor. Although he cannot use magic, he's always interested and looking into books about that. And you must be Gray. I've been expecting you for some time this week. My name is Levy, and I'm the palace's historian, but I also keep track of many records, including criminal ones."

"Yes, I'm looking for any leads on who might have destroyed my village. The monster was called Deliora. Do you have any records or criminal evidence I can look into?" Gray said with a hardened tone.

"I can look that up for you, but it will take a while for me to enter into the criminal system and put them together. This will be a long process, but I will keep you updated as much as possible," Levy answered. "Oh, and please take this!"

Levy handed Gray a small piece of triangular crystal that shined a vibrant and resilient blue. It was hanging from a silver chain.

Gray examined the item for a while, then looked up at Levy.

"I have no idea what this is."

Levy giggled, putting her small hand over her mouth.

"It's a magical messenger. This necklace allows me to locate you at any time." She then pointed to a similar necklace on her neck. "With this, we can both relay messages back and forth. All you need to do is place the crystal on the paper once you are done. The paper will then transport itself to me immediately. But don't lose it, I only have one pair!" Levy explained.

Gray nodded as he placed the necklace over his head.

"Are you sure? I can always just visit you instead of sending out letters."

"No, no, no! That won't do. You are supposed to look after Duke Jose-" Her eyebrows raised with suspicion- "and you coming to the castle all the time will make the Duke question your intentions. Besides, I work better alone," Levy said cheerfully.

"Alright…Well, I'll leave you to your work. I must be going back now, as it is already late." Gray said his thanks and left. Levy waved goodbye with her sweet smile and hasted back to her books.

* * *

><p>Gray entered the Duke's home. The halls were dark, all except the single bright light that shone from the kitchen. He peaked in to find Juvia in an apron humming quietly while baking some sort of pie.<p>

"Juvia?" His voice rang in the midst of the silence.

Juvia jumped and turned around to find Gray standing in the kitchen.

"Gray-san! Welcome home!" Juvia replied, in a quiet whisper. "But please be a bit more quiet, father is sleeping! We don't want to wake him up."

"Sorry," he replied, lowering his voice down. "What are you doing?"

"I'm baking a sheppard's pie for tomorrow," Juvia explained, as she seated Gray down on the kitchen table. "I was told to show you around Crocus tomorrow by father."

"Thanks, that'd be great. I get lost-" Gray stopped midsentence. "What happened to your arm?"

The two stared at Juvia's arm as she pulled up a chair for Gray. There was a bit of dry blood seeping through the white bandages.

"N-nothing. Juvia fell, that is all." Juvia's voice started to quake in fear, as it did earlier today.

Gray grabbed her tiny wrist and pulled her closer to him. He examined the injury and gently stroked his hand over her wound.

Juvia, surprised by Gray's forwardness, felt her knees slightly shaking and her heart pumping rapidly.

"You're lying," Gray accused. "There's no way a fall could have led to this gash. And your cheek is slightly swollen." He placed his cold hands against her tender, fleshed cheek.

His icy hands immediately withdrew any throbbing pain that still lingered in her cheek. She wanted his hand to stay on her wound until the end of time, but just as soon as he placed his hand on her face, he receded. It was a friendly gesture, but it made Juvia squirm nonetheless.

"Anoo…Well…"

The maiden was surprised at Gray's keen ability to deduce the situation. But then again, she was never a good liar.

But Gray began to place the pieces together- The Duke's harsh attitude to Juvia and the bruises on her arms.

"Did that bastard Duke do that to you?" Gray asked loudly, his voice growling.

Tears began forming into Juvia's eyes as she turned away from Gray. She didn't want to be seen as a weakling in front of Gray. She just tired of the pity stares and disgusted looks she got from people. She just wanted to be seen as a regular person, perhaps even respected by Gray-san.

Gray sensed her tenseness and decided to let it go.

"Well, don't worry. I'll be here now, and I'll make sure nothing like that happens to you again," he said reassuringly.

The words warmed her heart, as well as her flushed cheeks. Was she really hearing correctly? That someone could actually be concerned with her? With that, Juvia turned back to Gray and gave him a big smile.

"Thank you, Gray-san." Juvia's features brightened and her eyes dazzled toward Gray.

With that, Gray laughed.

"What's so funny?" Juvia questioned, confused.

"You have flour smeared across your forehead."

Embarrassment always found a way to Juvia. She blushed madly and tried to wipe of the flour with her hands, only to realize that her hands had previously been kneading the dough. As a result, her face had even _more_ flour than before.

Gray laughed harder. He held his stomach for support as he watched Juvia become more and more flustered, futilely pawing off the flour from her face with her pale hands. It wasn't until he felt a small impact on his face that he broke from his laugh.

Juvia, giggling, had just flicked some flour onto Gray's face.

"There. Now you can't laugh at me because your face has flour too," Juvia said triumphantly, with her hands at her waist.

Gray smirked as he flicked the fine crumbs off his jawline. He grabbed some flour in a bowl that was sitting on the counter table, knowing very well what he was going to do next. Chasing Juvia, he threw some onto her apple cheeks.

Laughter ensued.

Juvia squealed, running away from Gray, while Gray laughed as he hunted her down like a predator after his prey. The two danced around the kitchen table like fairies, forgetting all their worries while trying to splatter each other like children in a snowball fight.

Gray finally grabbed Juvia around the waist from the front and held her tightly with his laughing eyes.

"Gotcha." He whispered his hot breath into her ear.

Juvia lifted her head to face him, with her feet dangling from the ground as he held her.

'_Oh sweet goddess of Crocus, he is too close to me. His dreamy eyes and strong grip…'_ Juvia thought. Her face began to flush red, and she squirmed in shyness. As he leaned in closer, Juvia began to panic. She didn't know what else to do.

So she did what any girl would do.

She grabbed the remaining flour and caked his incoming face with it. Gray released her immediately.

"Ahaha…" Juvia laughed nervously, her cheeks beet red. Her heart was beating wildly, unable to focus on anything else except the close proximity of Gray's face before she hit him with flour.

Gray coughed at the flour that was shoved in his face and throat.

"Well, w-what a night!" Juvia stammered, still nervous and twitching from their brief and intimate hug. She shuffled her feet back away from Gray. "Gray-san must be so tired. Please go shower and rest in your guest room on the second floor," Juvia's voice was rushed, with a slight tinge of hysteria.

"But the mess-" Gray spoke hoarsely, still at a loss at why he had almost suffocated to death by flour.

"N-no, no, Juvia will take care of that."

She pushed Gray out of the kitchen, almost too forcefully, and directed him to his room by extending her arm.

"G-good night Gray-san!" Juvia bowed awkwardly, still laughing nervously.

She shut the kitchen door in front of his face. Clutching her heart, she leaned against the door and slowly slid down to the floor. '_That was close. Juvia almost though Gray-san was going to kiss her!_' Juvia thought. Her hands were shaking slightly by the thought of it as she pinched herself.

She wasn't dreaming. Nevertheless, Juvia began to think about her and Gray running through a field of flowers together, hand in hand, and letting her fantasies soothe her as she slowly steadied her heartbeat.

Gray stood outside the kitchen door, entirely discombobulated and confused at what just happened.

"What the hell?" He murmured in a low voice, brushing his hand over his flour-coated hair. He turned around to shower and sleep.

'_What a strange girl...' _he thought to himself, coughing the last bits of flour as he ascended the stairs.

* * *

><p><em>Hey guys! <em>

_Don't kill me for updating so late! I had finals (boo) and then I had spring break. Then school started again and I had to buy textbooks etc, etc… And well, that leads me to this point in time. I'll be trying to update more often though, I promise!_

_Anyway, thanks for being awesome. Your reviews make me jump up and down and scream at my computer screen like an untamed excited gorilla. Hehe. Shorter chapter, but I hope you did enjoy the super cheesy part at the end. _

_I hope the story line isn't getting a bit dull…I've still got a lot to learn._

_Since I categorized this as a "Romance/Adventure," you guys should be expected some more of the latter, but I'm getting there, I promise! It might take a lot more chapters to reach the adventure that our heroes will encounter, but I hope it will satisfy you all._

_Thanks for reading and reviewing!_

_PS: I just got my new coat shipped in! It reminded me a lot of Juvia, so I had to get it. :) I want to show you all, except I don't think i'm able to post up direct links here :(_

_Until the next chapter,  
>GreenTeaCake<em>


	5. Chapter 5: The Legend of The Two Heroes

**Chapter 5: The Legend of the Two Heroes**

*****A/N*****

**Hey everyone, thank you for all your support! I know that I haven't updated in like, forever, but school has just been really hectic for me. In all honesty, I wrote this chapter right after chapter 4 (which was released eons ago) but never had time to upload it. This quarter has just been crazy for me, but once I'm done, i'll definitely start writing again! For now, I hope this chapter will suffice until around the middle of June!  
>Thank you so much!<strong>

* * *

><p>Gray hazily woke up as the sunlight illuminated his room. Well, technically, not his room, but the Duke's room, but since he was living with him and his daughter as a body guard, it might as well be considered his room. He lay down on his back and stared at the ceiling, letting his stream of consciousness drift. How was Levy doing with progress? Was the Duke going to be suspicious? And Juvia…<p>

Just as his thoughts were concentrated on the blunette, he heard two light knocks on his door.

"Gray-san?" asked a familiar, yet timid voice.

"Yeah. Come in," Gray responded, his voice slightly breaking due to his morning grogginess. He sat up on his bed as the door widened.

"Good morning! I hope you had a nice- Gray-san, your clothes!" Juvia screamed, quickly turning around from Gray's bare body.

"What? You don't sleep naked?" he asked, befuddled at the idea of why anyone would wear anything to sleep.

"N-no! Err, breakfast is downstairs!" Juvia disappeared from the room in a flash, but not quick enough to cover her embarrassed facial expression.

Gray shrugged and put on his uniform. He freshened up and headed downstairs to find Juvia dressed up casually, like the first time he met her.

"Shouldn't you be dressed up a bit fancier?"

"Juvia doesn't need to dress up fancy to show Gray-san around town. Besides, we aren't going to be near the castle. There is no need to dress up so frivolously."

Gray only nodded as he was handed a plate of food from Juvia. A steaming bun and scrambled eggs were held before Gray and Juvia sat down to eat with him.

"Where's Duke Jose?" Gray asked. He didn't really want to know, as he was fine with just having breakfast with Juvia. But due to formalities, and him being the bodyguard and all, he was obligated to ask.

"Father is still sleeping. He normally doesn't wake up until around noon."

"But it's seven in the morning. We could have gotten more sleep," Gray yawned.

Juvia giggled. "I have to show you around town, remember? And I always get up this early. I have a few things to take care of before the Duke wakes up."

The two finished eating breakfast and Juvia excitedly grabbed her woven basket, the same one she held when she first encountered Gray, with the pie she made from last night. Gray was curious, but thought it was best to remain silent. He was going to find out soon enough what they were doing.

Juvia rushed out the house, with a large grin on her face, leaving Gray to play catch-up.

"Come on, Gray-san! We will be late," Juvia said, as she grabbed his arm to pull him faster toward there destination.

As the two walked to their destination, Juvia pointed out the essentials; the best places to eat, the markets, the roads that led to the castle, parks, and many other useful areas to know of. Juvia soon stopped shuffling her feet as she arrived to the rickety building in front of her.

Gray couldn't take it anymore. He popped the question that was long lingering on his mind.

"Is this the place we are going to? What is it?"

"It's the orphanage! They will love you here. Come, come in!" Juvia said delightfully. She pulled him into the building and soon they were both surrounded by kids.

"Juvia-nee! We've been waiting for you!" Meredy cried joyously. She ran up to hug Juvia's leg.

"Juvia-nee, who is this man?" Wendy asked, as she rubbed her tired eyes awake.

"Baka! Isn't it obvious? He's a prince!" Romeo yelled, running up to Gray and prodding at his sword.

Gray gave a hearty laugh as he drew out his sharp sword for Romeo to see.

"I'm no prince, but I do work for the King. I'm a soldier palace, and currently helping out Juvia and her family." Gray seemed to be enjoying the attention from the kid, with his eyes sparkling as he held out his sword.

"Wow, cool!" Romeo responded. "Do you fight dragons? Can you show me how to use a sword?"

"No problem, kiddo!" Gray brandished his sharp weapon, weaving it through the air to and fro. He almost sliced off a piece of Romeo's stray hair.

"Gray-san! Put that weapon down! You are going to hurt the kids!" Juvia screamed, clutching onto Romeo's head as she used her magic to squirt water onto Gray's face.

The soldier withdrew his sword and blinked several times to process what had just happened.

"You can use magic?" he interrogated.

"Huh?" Juvia remembered that she never mentioned her lackluster ability to Gray. "Oh, yes. Juvia has the power to use element of water. But she is still having trouble controlling it. Juvia can only do menial tasks."

Gray dark eyes lit up, with obvious pleasure on his face.

"Well, guess what? I can use magic too." Gray proceeded to extend his hands out and place his fist on top of his other palm. Instantaneously, a miniature ice sculpture Ur appeared in this hand.

"Wow, that's so pretty!" Wendy cried, tiptoeing to see Gray's art.

"Who is that? Can I have it?" Meredy asked, with her eyes pleading.

Gray laughed lightheartedly.

"Sure, you can have it. But it will melt eventually. This is Ur, my mentor who taught me icecreation magic."

"Gray-san, you must be very good with your ice creation magic, since you were appointed by the King," Juvia said in awe, examining the ice sculpture in detail.

"Well, I guess I owe it all to Ur," he stated, with a slight hurt look. "I trained as much as I could growing up, and now I'm here, working for the king."

"That's so cool!" Romeo shouted. "This is just like 'The Legend of the Two Heroes!'"

"What's that?" Wendy asked, her eyes huge with curiosity.

"A story! It's the best story ever! A long time ago, a legend told that these two heroes beat up a big, mean, scary dragon! And um, how does it go again? Juvia-nee, can you tell us the story?" Meredy requested.

"Of course. We can all enjoy the pie I brought while I tell the story," Juvia giggled. She was as excited as the kids were. After all, this was one of her favorite legends.

The group gathered around and sat on a tattered carpet, all with a generous proportion of savory pie on their plates, while Juvia seated herself on a dilapidated chair.

Gray sat with the kids, legs crossed, as Meredy seated herself on his lap, and Wendy and Romeo clutched either side of his arm, all poking and prodding at his armor or grabbing his silky hair, waiting for Juvia to start the story. Gray gave an exasperated sigh, letting it be known to Juvia that he wasn't sure what to do when it came to children. Juvia gave an encouraging smile, and although Gray didn't want to admit it, he was enjoying the presence of a younger generation admiring him.

"Well, now that everyone is settled in, are we ready to listen to 'The Legend of the Two Heroes?'" Juvia asked excitedly.

"Yeah!" the three children responded in unison.

"Well…Here we go! Once upon a time, before even time itself was recorded, there lived a strong and beautiful woman, named Erza…

* * *

><p>"<strong>Stop right there."<strong>

**The brilliance of the sharp-edged sword gleamed in the sunlight, as it pointed at the throat of the petty thief.**

"**How did you pull out that sword out of no where? D-do you know who you are pointing this sword at?" the thief said in a hoarse voice. "I'll show you!"**

**With that, the thief began to summon the earth, and large boulders of rock began to hurtle toward the sword wielding woman.**

**She smiled.**

**The scarlet haired woman materialized yet another sword, and in a swift yet graceful motion, she sliced the rocks in half, leaving the thief speechless.**

**In a low voice, the woman replied.**

"**I know who you are; you are a disgraceful human being. A shameful, reprehensible person who's thoughts can only be entertained by the idea of stealing money from the elderly." She pressed the rigid sword against the skin of the thief's neck.**

"**Y-you're..you're…" he stammered.**

"**I'm Erza Scarlet." With that, she subdued the criminal with a whack on the head with the side of her sword, leaving the authorities to deal with him later. She quickly returned the wallet to the victim and began to walk home.**

**She noticed flyers posted everywhere as she walked, warning townfolk of the dangers and devastation that was brought to several cities not too far from where she resided. Erza grabbed a flyer nailed to a neighboring fence.**

_**Attention! **_

_**The town of Magnolia has just been plunged into calamity due to Acnologia! The dark dragon has awakened again, wreaking havoc onto all districts. Beware and be on alert for any town signals of evacuations.**_

_**Take only the necessities and be ready to leave at any times notice!**_

**Erza shuddered at the flyer. Acnologia- the deadly dragon that was unlike any other dragon she'd heard of. Acnologia did not get along with humans- but strangely enough, mystics told that the dragon spawned from the absolute darkness that consumed the human flesh, transforming the person into the dark dragon itself. It was this dragon that Erza focused her life around. Her town was destroyed and burned to ashes when she was a little girl, wiping out her family and friends. She swore, that from that day forward, she would destroy the monster that claimed her family.**

"**You should relax, you know. Your face might get stuck like that forever," A man's voice whispered, as he took Erza's side. "Not that you wouldn't look any less beautiful."**

**Erza's eyes softened at the man's voice. Beside her stood Jellal, the only other person to survive Acnologia's attack on her village ten years ago. Only when both had lost everything did the find each other in the midst of the rubble and dust that dispersed in the air from the raid. From that day on, they were inseparable, both seeking revenge on the dark dragon. They trained day and night together, and as the years past, they accumulated such great magical power that they were well known throughout ancient Magnolia.**

**Jellal entwined his hand around Erza's. All those years of training together not only brought forth great magical power, but a relationship between the two that not even Acnologia could break. **

"**Let's go home," Erza said, blushing with a smile on her face as she squeezed Jellal's hand. "We need to train."**

"You didn't have enough training already? You almost killed that thief earlier today," Jellal teased.

Erza gave him a swift and playful shove.

"**You know I'd never kill someone. Aren't we saving that for a certain dragon?" she replied.**

"**Yeah..." Jellal murmured, as they walked hand-in-hand back to their home.**

**A couple more months passed as Jellal and Erza continued to train vigorously in preparation to defeat Acnologia. Jella nearly mastered his Heavenly Magic, while Erza advanced to perfection with her ex-quip magic. Everywhere they walked in Magnolia, hopeful eyes laid upon them. Everyone knew the couple was planning to take down the wretched dragon, and the town had finally given thought that they might,_ just might_, be able to put the dragon to rest. Many brave souls have tried to conquer Acnologia, but none had compared Jellal and Erza. The two walked down the streets of Magnolia only to see more flyers posted, detailing more sieges on local towns.**

"**Jellal…When will we fight this beast? We have trained for the past ten years. We've read everything there is to know about Acnologia. We are ready," Erza stated, with no sign of fear in her voice.**

"**Soon, Erza. Even if we have all this power, we still don't know where the dragon resides. We need to attack it while it is vulnerable," Jellal replied, as the two walked down the streets to buy their groceries. He pulled her in closer to him, placing a firm grip on her waist. **

**Erza nodded, blushing at his gesture. Even though Erza was known for her serious attitude, Jellal always knew how to make her feel unsteady. But her thoughts were interrupted; just as Erza was about to speak, they heard a menacing roar above the sky. **

**Erza's eyes widened at the shriek. The whole town seemed to go quiet- the lively street the two were walking down on immediately froze. All people could do was stare upward and the unfolding event before them. Then, the sirens began to rang.**

"_**Attention! Attention! This is not a drill! Acnologia is about to attack on Magnolia. Be calm and evacuate NOW! Direct yourselves to the city's escape route and-"**_

**The loudspeakers around the town were cut off by another destructive roar, with an explosive sound following right after. **

**Jellal was the first to respond. **

"**Everyone, leave now! Follow the escape route!" he yelled, with a slight panic in his voice.**

**The wizard's voice brought the townspeople out of their trancelike state. In an instant, screams began to fill the silent air and the pounding of running feet hit the pavement.**

"**It looks like you got your wish, Erza," Jellal remarked. "Because we have to fight Acnologia,_ now_."**

**Erza stood her ground, with a fierce look on her face.**

"**It's now or never, right? We either die from Acnologia or defeat him. Let's go." **

**She began to run toward the dragon, with its black, sleek body embroidered with blue streaks, flapping its enormous wings above the center of Magnolia.**

"**Wait," Jellal shouted, grabbing her arm. He pulled her in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "Don't die."**

"**The same goes for you. Live, for me."**

**The two stared intensely into each other's eyes. A million words could have been said in the midst of the chaos, but silence fit perfectly as they looked into each other's souls.**

**Another explosion. **

**Erza looked up, changing her loving expression to a hard glare. Jellal carried her into his arms and using his magic, ran at lightening speed toward the dark dragon.**

**Acnologia had landed onto a small town square, just on the outskirts of town, ready to produce another devastating attack onto Magnolia. **

"**Ex-quip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!" **

**With that, Erza's casual wear transformed into a silvery armor, with white wings spread on her back. A metal plated breast piece covered her top while an armed skirt flowed down her legs. Quickly, Erza began to fly toward Acnologia, with hundreds of sharp swords thrashing into the dragon's tough scales.**

**Jellal followed suit, and ran toward the dragon. With complete concentration, he began a series of heavenly magic.**

"**Heavenly Body Magic: Grand Chariot!"**

**Seven pillars of light formed above the sky, and all at once, the devastating beam began to rain upon the black dragon.**

**Swords and beams of light flew everywhere, with explosions hitting against the body of the reptile. Erza called forth her Trinity Shot, while Jellal continued his strike with his Heavenly Arrows. A series of painful screeches from Acnologia echoed in the now deserted town. As the dust cleared, Jellal and Erza stopped their combo attacks to see if they defeated the beast.**

**Jellal's eyes did not deceive him. **

**Acnologia, seemingly unscathed, appeared to have an evil grin on his face as it stretched its wings to fly. With a growl, the dragon began to take in a deep breath.**

"**Watch out! It's Dragon Roar is coming!" Erza screamed.**

**The assault was so sudden that Erza and Jellal barely had any time to react. Erza fell immediately to the attack, groaning at the burning sensation that traveled down her spine. Jellal, using his meteor, had just dodged the attack, only to be barraged by the whip of Acnologia's tail, sending him smashing into a wall.**

**The two could barely move, but through sheer will, forced themselves to their feet.**

"**Er-Erza… Are you all right?" Jellal said weakly, with the taste of blood invading his mouth.**

"**No, but that is what I expected," coughed Erza, soaked in her own blood. "We have to do it! We must unison raid now! Another hit like that, and we might be dead!"**

**Jellal agreed and ran to Erza's side as fast as his body would allow him to. He held onto her tightly before placing his hand in hers.**

**Acnologia flew up into the sky, showing its deadly claws and giant wings. The dragon finished breathing in, as if preparing to release it's Dragon Roar.**

"**Heaven's Wheel Armor: Blumenblatt!" Erza shouted against the loud wind.**

"**True Heavenly Body Magic: Sema!" Jellal yelled.**

"**Union Raid!" the two cried together.**

**Erza's hundreds of swords began to pierce up toward the heavens, into Jellal's large, dark cloud that rumbled louder than Acnologia's roar. An astronomical sized beam of celestial light that contained the legion of winged swords, several times bigger than Acnologia, then fell from the sky toward their enemy.**

**Erza and Jellal shut their eyes from the blaring glare of their unison raid. Any trace of magial power previously contained had left them. But just as the beam hit the monster, Acnologia performed its last dragon roar toward the defenseless heroes. **

**The two opposing attacks simultaneously occurred, producing a blast that could have been felt thousands of miles away. **

**Then there was nothing. Only silence and dust remained after the catastrophic attacks.**

**As the people of Magnolia came back to their site a week later, they witnessed something unbelievable. **

**In the heart of the city laid a man, dead. His back was scaled, matching the design of Acnologia perfectly. The sides of his arms had reptile-like features, and his eyes looked that of a dragon. Around him were torn pieces of shriveled up skin, resembling wings. **

**There was no sight of the two heroes.**

* * *

><p>"What happened to them?" Wendy cried, with tears in her eyes.<p>

"No one knows. Some people say that they never even fought, and evacuated the city just like everyone else, and simply never returned. No one was there to see anyone fight the dragon. Others, mainly the people of Magnolia, say they knew Erza and Jellal defeated the dragon. Many cities and neighboring towns didn't believe them, saying it was impossible for two mages to slay that dragon," Juvia replied softly, her eyes getting watery.

"I've heard this story many times. My grandparents used to tell me that Erza and Jellal were placed in the heavens after defeating Acnologia. The man who looked like the dragon was supposedly the man who had his soul completely consumed by darkness, and then transformed into the dragon. But there are many different variations of this story," Gray explained.

"That's so sad!" Meredy sniffled. "Maybe they are still alive! And they just were playing hide and seek!"

Juvia giggled at the comment.

"This story was passed down hundreds and hundreds of years ago. For all we know, this could just be a simple fairy tale. No one knows if The Legend of the Two Heroes is real or not," Juvia rendered. Juvia warmly hugged Meredy and Wendy to stop their tears.

The three orphans were so exhausted from the excitement from the story that they soon fell asleep.

Juvia glanced at Gray and gave him a smile.

"We should be going now," Juvia whispered.

"Are you sure it's okay to leave them alone like this?" Gray asked, scratching his head.

"Oh, is someone getting attached already?" Juvia teased, trying to stifle her laughter so no child would awaken.

"N-no! I hate kids," Gray proclaimed. A light shade of red on his face was accompanied by his embarrassment. "But what you do is really admirable. The kids must really appreciate you." Juvia reminded him of Ur's compassion and care for Gray, due to his parents being constantly busy.

"O-oh, is that so?" Juvia replied, blushing at his praise. "The children are the ones Juvia appreciates. They are so full of life, Juvia fell in love with them the day she met them,"

Gray smiled kindly at Juvia. Not only did the kids appreciate her, but he did too. She was making his mission to avenge his family a bit more comforting. Constantly thinking about his family and Ur sometimes was too much for him. Juvia was like a refreshing raindrop that allowed him to breathe from time to time.

She nudged Gray forward. "Now let's go home. You can help me make dinner if Duke Jose doesn't need your protection tonight."

Gray nodded and gave a slight smirk. _Why couldn't I just be a bodyguard for her?_ _Instead I have to deal with that bastard Duke Jose. _His smile faded as he thought about how he had to face Juvia's father soon. Gray began to get heated up from just thinking about the Duke. His thoughts were interrupted by Juvia's stammer.

"G-gray-san! Not in front of the kids!" Juvia said with mortification. She quickly tossed her cloak to Gray and shoved him out the door, even though the kids were all swiftly asleep, with eyes shut tightly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, a bit annoyed at her push.

"Y-your clothes!" she screamed as they exited the building. Her pale hands proceeded to cover her cerulean eyes.

"S-shit!" Gray shouted. "When then hell did that happen?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN**_

_Hey guyssssssssss! Trying to pump out some more stuff, but school's getting pretty busy lately. And I know what you are thinking:_

"_What the hell, GreenTeaCakes! Y U PUT RANDOM STORY WITHIN STORY, DAWG?"  
>Well, it's an important part to develop my plot. And some of you might say, mannnnnnnn, GET ON WITH THE PLOT! And I'm trying, but I just feel like I have so much shit wrapped around this story that I have to put out all of my ideas. This can either go terribly wrong or somewhat decent. So, a big THANKS to all the folks who have stuck through these chapters so far. I'll be trying my best to make this story awesome for you all!<em>

Thanks for all the support and help3

-Cakezzzzz


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